


Focus

by zenzenshima



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:32:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24302173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenzenshima/pseuds/zenzenshima
Summary: "Stay on earth if you can.  Less complicated."
Relationships: Banshee-44/Cayde-6 (Destiny)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	Focus

Banshee-44 was hunched over alone at his kiosk, triaging the neatly organized pieces of a deconstructed auto rifle. He seemed undisturbed by the discordant comings and goings of Guardians throughout the Tower Courtyard. 

It was a genuine pleasure to witness the gunsmith deep in concentration on his projects. With all he expressed of his memory issues, Banshee’s fingers worked with guns as if on instinct. Perhaps so many years of expertise can become invulnerable to corrupted programming, to a point. 

It was achingly human, how the exo applied his talent, and how generously he shared his knowledge to any Guardian. Oftentimes a Guardian would swing by for one small repair and would end up walking away with advanced new gear and a calibration lesson plan. Banshee seemed to take his role most seriously as a teacher over a vendor. 

A subtle slide of optic plates whined as Banshee refined his focus on the rifle component propped in his right hand. A goldenrod fingertip tapped the valve mechanism inside.

“You’re staring. Again.” Banshee rumbled without taking his optics off the auto rifle piece in front of him.

Cayde-6, startled and unused to being caught, stepped into the light of Banshee’s workshop to shrug it off. “I just didn’t want to interrupt you. Seems like a delicate operation you got there.”

Banshee ignored the expected cover-up, his fingers precisely adjusting the valve spring. “How can I help?”

“Can’t I just visit to see an old friend? An OLD, old friend?”

“Watch it. Deflecting. What do you need? Don’t remember; probably just saw you this morning.”

Cayde glowed with warmth and leaned on the opposite side of Banshee’s worktable. “You’re always helping others, Bansh. It’s just got me thinking. Do you ever take time for you? Do you have what you need to get things done? How can we help YOU today?”

“‘S’all good here, friend. Got Guardians all over, bringing me materials from all over.” Banshee gestured towards the back of the workshop, where donated pieces were roughly sorted for refurbishing. He snapped a shimmering case over the valve-spring setup and held it up to Cayde. “Intricate locking system. A little fuzzy in parts. Touched by Taken, maybe? Tried not to mess with the forward assist. Might cut a hole in space-time.” Banshee finally met Cayde’s eyes.

Cayde laughed and admired the detail of the craft. Banshee could sound gruff and to-the-point, but he really buoyed a good-humored optimism if you paid attention. Especially when given the opportunity to share all he’d been learning about the patterns and differences between all the weaponry passing through his workshop. Cayde loved to listen to whatever Banshee chose to share - one never knows when that kind of field knowledge could come in handy. He also privately wondered if verbal recitation might help with Banshee’s memory. 

Banshee set the rifle component down and tapped gentle fingers along the adjacent one on the table. It appeared to be the grip, molded to accommodate larger gauntlets. The gunsmith traced the shape with his fingers like a well-worn memory. Cayde watched for a moment until he realized Banshee was waiting on him to speak. Blue eyes mirrored blue.

“Let’s do something! When’s the last time you left your station, huh? I know we’re kinda trapped on the Tower and all, especially after that last little soiree of ours on Tangled Shore, but how about we grease the leg pistons a bit?”

Banshee considered Cayde, mouth closed, waiting. Analyzing.

“The work will be there for you when we come back!” Cayde continued. “Just a little break?”

Banshee looked back down at the puzzle of a gun splayed on his bench, noting where he left off. Then, thinking better of it, he rotated the next component needing attention as a failsafe reminder. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

Cayde might have had to prepare more justifications and pleas in case of resistance from any other Tower friend, but Banshee either always knew he’d lose and Cayde would drag him out anyway or… the alternative was that Banshee could see right through him to the core of his loneliness, which was way too pitiful, so we’ll have to go with Option A.

Cayde looked out towards the courtyard as Banshee secured his shopfront. Sunset was settling gracefully on the Tower. As the dormant Traveler reflected the last of the day’s light, the courtyard grew busier with evening foot traffic.

Banshee strode up next to Cayde. “Have an idea, if you’re up for it.”

“How much glimmer should I have ready to bet?”

Banshee chuckled, easily sliding an arm around Cayde’s shoulders and pulling him in. He looked around the courtyard conspiratorially. “Race you to the workshop.”

“The SECRET workshop?” Cayde whispered back with maximum drama.

“The very one.”

Cayde wriggled away and was sprinting for the hangar before Banshee could lower his arm. The hunter turned just to make sure Banshee was starting to make his way in the same direction, finger gunning him in a cheerful challenge. Banshee, laughter deep in him, started a brisk pace after Cayde.

Cayde made it to the larger vent entrance at the edge of the hangar and sat cross-legged, watching Banshee clear the central stairways and ramps. Banshee was a built soldier, and would always be capable of an exo’s physicality, so Cayde suspected Banshee’s deliberate pace was more from wisdom than age. He seemed to appreciate the moment, giving his full attention, knowing how quickly time could be taken away. Banshee watched him back intently as he approached.

“You said ‘race’, Banshee.” Cayde teased.

“Yeah, yeah.” Banshee tilted his head, offering his hand to boost up Cayde. “Creaky ol’ Banshee, just wants to have fun again. Spare an old man.”

“Oh come on. I personally saw you tear it up and dual-wield submachine guns to nab the barons just the other day. Your crowd-control maneuver, you called it?” Cayde stood up with Banshee’s help and brushed his pants of invisible dust. 

Banshee looked past Cayde towards the vents, equal parts proud and relieved to be home. “S’fun.” He started into the vent tunnel.

Cayde had noticed how some other guardians seemed to act around Banshee to accommodate for his memory issues. He found the nice ones infantilizing, and the manipulative ones that took advantage of the memory blips rather cruel. Most were nice in the end, but often took great performative pains to remind Banshee that they were doing him a favor to jog his memory or show him extra patience. Cayde didn’t live his life and he was still annoyed for Banshee to have to deal with that all day on top of all his work. 

But the hunter also noticed, and admired, that Banshee refused to apologize whenever it took him a little longer to arrive at a mutual understanding. He faced each interaction and met others with his best no matter what.

Cayde felt the best he could do was be a friend that didn’t treat him like a special case. Don’t think of it as a memory issue, just consider that Banshee executes differently. Banshee was brilliant, thoughtful and endlessly smart in unexpected ways, and he would never intentionally inconvenience anyone. Cayde would always have the time to walk with him until they arrived at their destination together. 

But the old-age jokes were going to happen either way.

Banshee stopped once they got to the warehouse storage section of the hangar. He scanned the rows of shelves to remind himself what brought him there. Cayde caught his hand from behind and squeezed.

“Banshee, I wanna see what you’ve got goin’ in your workshop.” 

Banshee turned to face Cayde, keeping their hands together and leaning back onto the shelves behind him while he thought. Their fans whirred pleasantly as the only sound in the room.

“Hrmm. Yeah, don’t mind the mess.” 

“Never do.” Cayde leaned in and grinned, tapping Banshee’s forehead with his horn. Banshee smiled, light growing brighter within his mouth plates, then looked up to the open ceiling vent, remembering the path.

Another climb and a few precarious jumps, and the soldiers made it to the comforting silence of the workshop. Banshee immediately walked to the desk facing the stairway entrance to check a digital notepad on the table. Cayde let the gunsmith get his bearings and settled casually onto the adjacent, low-riding couch. Routine paths and a system of reminder cues seemed to keep Banshee tethered, and Cayde would never interrupt that.

After some comfortable silence, Banshee turned back towards Cayde, fiddling absently with an electric tool. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Think you wanna talk. Talk to me.”

Cayde eyed him, feeling naked. “Not really sure, what do you think I wanna talk about?” He stalled.

Banshee was a patient, perceptive friend. He sat down on the low loveseat and leaned into Cayde. Their shoulders seamed together and Banshee let his head fall back to rest on the wall. And waited.

Cayde worked his mouth open and closed for a few tries. His inner light reflected against Banshee’s calm profile. Normally Cayde hid behind nerves with empty verbosity, now he found himself speechless next to his friend. Which probably was making said friend feel even more justified in his concern.

“The truth is, Bansh, I really don’t know what to say. I guess. I’m leaving behind the Vanguard’s back and I think I may be gone awhile. No one knows but you. I thought of you first. How you always show me how to appreciate the moment. And I guess I wanted to appreciate some moments with you. You know, before I go.”

“You’re not sure about this one.”

Cayde looked towards the locked case of guns across the room. The loquaciousness was returning. “I mean, I’m not questioning my skill, and my ability to execute under stress, I could take on all those boys again if I had to, but there’s a lot of variables at play here, and significantly less resources, I can’t pull another one of those missions we just ran what with Zavala and Ikora a little wiser now--”

“Stay on Earth if you can. Less complicated.” If Cayde had it right, Banshee sounded far away despite being as close as physically possible.

Cayde stuttered, static in his throat. “I mean, with what I want to try, I might just have to go in hiding for a while? I wouldn’t see you for a bit. You’re a pretty prominent guy, and pretty needed here in the Tower, you know, can’t be seen with the likes of me when I’ve gone rogue.”

“You’re my friend. Want you around whenever you can be.”

Cayde knew in his mechanical gut that a major part of Banshee wanted to go with Cayde, to help and protect and bring him back home as soon as possible, but Banshee also understood all too well his place in the Tower and in the network of Guardians, and what his work meant to their overall success in this ongoing fight. He was grateful Banshee didn’t try to start the argument, but the plea crackled in the air between them anyway.

“You’re going. The right thing to do, in the end.”

Banshee’s increased fan speed betrayed him as the reality and potential finality sunk in, and they both looked away from each other. Cayde felt like there was everything to say and no words to communicate it. Heat radiated between their arms pressed together.

Banshee stood up suddenly. “Something special for you. Get you ready for what’s out there.” He paced to his shelves, poring over the inventory to remind himself. Cayde felt the vacuum of his warmth and got up too quickly himself, slightly dazed. Banshee lifted a container onto the ground and dropped down to dig through the contents, slipping quickly into work mode, but it felt wrong to watch this time.

“Bansh…”

“I’ll help you. Just gimme a sec.”

“That’s not what I need!” Cayde startled himself with his admission. He settled his shoulders and lowered his voice. Banshee was frozen, staring at a point over the edge of the container. “Banshee, I just wanted to take a break with you. Enjoy the moment. Get our favorite ramen, play some cards, and maybe later you can give me the most expensive and complicated gear you’ve got so I can show it off at that old asteroid belt. Right now I just want to be with my friend.”

As Cayde rambled, Banshee placed his stock back into the open container and then rested his hands on his knees, staring at a fixed point on the floor. Cayde felt gutted. Maybe to give a warning was a cruel thing to do to his friend after all. Maybe it would have been better if he just left Banshee to wonder, and maybe even forget him.

No, Cayde couldn’t do that. Doing the right thing for the people was the wrong thing for his friend, so he needed to do what he could to make up for it.

Banshee was muttering. “Was doing something for you. Said I’d give you something.”

“You were going to give me a great big ol’ hug, obviously.”

Banshee finally looked up, if only to deliver an epic eye roll. “Not that.” He looked at Cayde for a beat. “But anyway.”

Banshee pulled Cayde sideways into a desperate hug that could have crushed any organic body. While the physical incentive for comfort might not hit the same as for humans or Awoken, the message of the gesture was loud and clear. Cayde twisted his body to face Banshee, holding tight and standing up tall to lift him into a full-bodied hug. They were solid presences for each other from cheek to heel, pressed tightly together.

“What you’ve done. What you do. It’s appreciated. More than you know.” Banshee murmured. Cayde’s gloved hands buried more deeply into Banshee’s shawl. Speechless again, he hugged tighter.

After some time, Banshee broke the silence. “Hrmm. Clingy, for a hunter.”

“Shut up. You hugged first.” Cayde said with affectionate petulance. He loosened his grip and tapped Banshee’s temple with his horn. “Let’s get some ramen and guardian-watch, and I wanna tell you about some sweet loot I’ve got hidden around the system. Might have some interesting parts even you haven’t seen. What do you say?”


End file.
